Luke 2:10-11
A Gift For You
This morning, children all over the country—and I suppose the
world—awoke to gifts underneath the Christmas tree. I hope that every
child received gifts of love from those who care for them, but the
way some people celebrate Christmas, the children may think their
gifts were free. I wish that was the way things worked; but as
adults, we know that no earthly gift of material value is free.
Someone has to pay for it.
So it is was for the Gift in the manager 2000 years ago. God gave us
a Savior, but Someone had to pay a price—and might I add, a very high
price. Who paid for the price of salvation? The answer is, "God
did," and most of that price was paid for by the Son of God.
Tonight, let’s consider the price that Jesus paid to be our Savior,
and let’s start where the Christmas story starts, when Jesus left
heaven.
I. The Price Jesus Paid
A. Jesus gave up His home.
1. Do you realize how little we know about heaven?
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him.
2. Bible scholars have spend years of their lives tyring to
better understand this glorious place.
a. Why?
b. So that human voices can better proclaim and human
hearts can better be comforted by this place called
heaven.
c. But with all of the study, all of the sermons, all of
longing, we still know possess just an outline worth
of knowledge about heaven and its beauty.
3. Yet, Jesus walked away from this glorious place to walk
among on a defiled and sinful planet.
4. How His soul must have yearned from the joys of heaven!
a. Did Jesus get homesick for heaven?
b. I don’t know for certain, but I think so!
B. Jesus gave us what He was.
1. I did not say that Jesus gave up WHO He was.
a. I said that Jesus gave up WHAT He was.
b. Jesus could not give us WHO He was.
Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not….
2. But Jesus did give up WHAT He was.
a. I have spent some time attempting to understand what
I am about to say, and I have failed.
b. Yet my limited understanding does not prevent me from
telling you that Jesus gave up some of Himself to come
to this plane.
3. I cannot explain that statement much more except to say
that you can see that truth in the attributes Jesus laid
aside, three attributes in particular.
a. His omnipresence - the Son of God could be in all
places at all times.
b. His omniscience - the Son of God knew all things at
all times.
c. His omnipotence - the Son of God could do every thing
at any time.
4. These were not just things that the Son of God could do.
These were WHAT Jesus was.
5. I think Paul made reference to this in Philippians 2:7.
a. Paul speaking of Jesus said.
Phi 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men:
b. Paul mentioned three things that Jesus gave up for us.
(1) Jesus gave up His position - He made Himself of
no reputation, going from the MOST exalted to
the LEAST exalted.
(2) Jesus gave up His form - He took on the form of a
Servant.
(3) Jesus gave up His ability - He was made in the
likeness of men. He could do what man could do.
No longer could He do what God could do.
6. Never has anyone paid so much for so little in return.
C. He gave up His angels, His servants.
1. I have always wondered why there are angels. God doesn’t
need them; but like with us, God chooses to use them.
2. There are angels and beings from heaven all through the
Scripture.
a. \\#Eze 1:14\\ There are four heavenly beings who wait
on God and they go and return like lightning.
b. In the New Testament, we read of the angel Gabriel
appearing to Zacharias, Mary, and Joseph.
c. Then there is the Arc-Angel Michael, who appears to be
a strong fighting angel.
d. And other who are not mentioned by name.
3. These angels stood to serve Jesus; but when Jesus left
heaven, He left those heavenly beings.
4. Actually, Jesus swapped those heavenly angels for 12
earthly disciples.
a. How do you think He did? I believe it was then that
God invented the eye roll.
b. You say, "They got better after the Holy Ghost filled
them."
c. You are right, but they all died.
d. Now He has us.
e. I will let you decide how He is doing now.
5. Jesus gave up His servants.
D. He gave up His form.
1. I won’t say much here except we need to remember that
Jesus did not begin at His birth.
2. Like the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus was a Spirit
before the incaration.
3. How much of a price did Jesus pay? He gave up that form
forever.
E. He have up fellowship with the Father.
1. For most of the time that Jesus was on the earth, He had
some fellowship with the Father, but it was not like
back home.
a. How do I know?
b. Because God had to sent angels to minister to Jesus
on at least one occassion and to strengtehn Him on
another.
c. If Jesus had fellowship with the Father like He did in
heaven, He would not have needed those angels to
do those things.
2. But then while Jesus paid for man’s sins, the fellowship
with the Father seemed to be completely broken.
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me?
F. He gave up His glory. He gave up honor and worship.
1. I have never understood God’s glory but it appears to be
what God is clothed within.
a. Adam and Eve were apparently naked before the fall
but did not notice it.
b. Why? I think because they too were clothed in God’s
glory.
c. Man lost his glory in the fall, but God did not.
d. Yet, when Jesus came to this earth, He came without
His glory.
2. He also gave up worship and honor.
a. Did Jesus have to have worship and honor?
b. No, but He deserved it. He is still the holy, God.
c. Yet, very, very little did Jesus receive of it.
G. He gave up His comfort.
1. A God who never needed anything came to earth and
immediaely needed everything.
2. Three phases:
a. Preborn - Needed Mary’s both to feed and care for Him.
b. Infant - Needed Mary and Joseph’s care to feed and
care for Him.
c. Adult - Needed the help of others.
H. He gave up His life.
II. The Product Jesus Purchased
A. Understand, Jesus gave these up but they were not lost.
B. If you are saved, everyone of these things was transferred to
you and me.
1. By sacrificing His home, Jesus purchased the gift of an
eternal home for us.
a. We don’t study heaven to learn where He came from.
b. We study heaven to learn where we are going to!
2. By sacrificing His attributes, Jesus purchased for us
abilities and powers we have yet to comprehend.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name:
3. By sacrificing His angels, Jesus purchased for us
ministering spirits—now and for all eternity.
Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering
spirits, sent forth to minister for them who
shall be heirs of salvation?
4. By sacrificing His form, Jesus purchased for us a
glorified body.
1Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up
in victory.
5. By sacrificing His glory, Jesus purchased for us a place
inside the glory of God forever.
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit
to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that
great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out
of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was
like unto a stone most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of
the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it:
for the glory of God did lighten it, and the
Lamb is the light thereof.
6. By sacrificing His comfort, Jesus purchased for us peace
and comfort for all eternity.
7. By sacrificing His fellowship with the Father, Jesus
purchased for us an unbreakable fellowship with the
Father.
1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may have
fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ.
8. By sacrificing His life, Jesus purchased for us life
everlasting.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
<OutlineIndex>
<Close Window>
